After an undefeated season, it was a stunning 35-point victory over the Southern Saints which won Essendon’s VFLW side the grand final at ETU Stadium on Sunday.
Retiring women’s footy legend Cecilia McIntosh told Channel 7 it was “pretty epic” to get the win in her last game.
The Bombers led the Saints from start to finish, scoring 6.6 (42) to 0.7 (7) – the team in control from Simone Nalder’s fifth minute goal.
Bombers’ co-captain Mia-Rae Clifford, with eight disposals, five contested possessions, three tackles and one inside-50, said she had “no words to explain” what she was feeling after the game.
“I’m so proud of these girls and this group,” Clifford told Channel 7 after the match.
“It’s rare to have a group like this and I’m so grateful to be a part of it and play alongside them.”
Clifford praised Essendon’s four-year-long coach Brendan Major and said he’d been a major part of the club’s triumph.
“He’s irreplaceable, he’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had,” she said.
“I wouldn’t be the player I am today without him and this team wouldn’t be where we are today without him.”
Major said he was “just really proud”.
“I think it’s the way we’ve played our footy. It’s exciting, people want to come and watch, it gets the scores on the board,” Major said.
“It’s not just about winning games, it’s about creating a brand that people want to be a part of, that people want to play in and people want to watch, so it’s fantastic. “
Sunday’s biggest upset was a knee injury suffered by Bombers’ co-captain Georgia Nanscawen, the first-ever player signed to the club’s VFLW program, who went down in the last quarter.
Clifford said the team would be “right behind” Nanscawen no matter what.
“That gave us that extra bit of energy to play for our skip, she puts her body on the line for us every day so we wanted to do the same for her,” she said.
Elsie Lange
